Not just the fact that 46 million Americans are right now religiously unaffiliated, but the rate of growth is staggering! In the last five years alone, the percentage of U.S. adults who are unaffiliated with any religion increased from 15% to just under 20%. With each election, the number of unaffiliated voters grows. The religious pandering that won elections in the past, won’t fly in the future.

2. The Young Vote

Much of the growth comes from the young unaffiliated crowd coming of age. A third of adults under 30 are religiously unaffiliated and the old notion that young voters don’t make a difference no longer applies. In the last two presidential elections young voters gave the Democratic Party a majority of their votes.(2) It is unwise to alienate your most supportive voters by ignoring their demographics.

3. We May Be Persuaded

Campaigns are clamoring to appeal to the coveted undecided or non-party-line voters. Nones have a higher percentage of “Independents/other” and moderates than the general public. Here they are, now appeal to them.

4. Ahead of the Curve

Look at the trends in public opinion on major social issues and you’ll see nones ahead of the curve of the general public. 61% of nones supported same-sex marriage in 2001, when only 35% of the general public did. But the public is catching up, with support now around 50%.(3) Pay attention to nones and politicians might again be an inspiration to society.

5. It Goes Both Ways

Almost one quarter of Democratic and Democratic-Leaning registered voters are religiously unaffiliated. The party that aligns closer with nones on social issues pushes them away with unnecessary affirmations of religiosity, like awkwardly forcing God into the party platform.

Although religiously unaffiliated voters lean Democratic, the percentage of the Republican or Republican-Leaning registered voters who do not identify with a religion is growing. More than one-in-ten Republicans is being told by his or her own party that he or she is not a true American. Knock it off Republican Party, and you could court the 50% of nones who would rather have a smaller government with fewer services. Uphold the most patriotic and traditional American value of all, a secular government, or risk losing your fiscally conservative, religiously unaffiliated voters.

Let’s hope politicians keep this advice in mind as they persuade Americans to select their name on the ballot. Because when given a list of religious options, a large and growing number of voters have no problem selecting “none of the above.”

Kelly Damerow is the Secular Coalition's Director of Federal and State Affairs. She joined the Secular Coalition as Research and Advocacy Manager in the spring of 2012. Born and raised in Florida, Kelly received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and her Juris Doctor degree in law from the University of Florida. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in the fall of 2011. Prior to joining the Secular Coalition, Kelly was a Legal Fellow in the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center.

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